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Pepperdine Men's Golf National Champions Team

The Future of Pepperdine Golf

This initiative will take our golf teams to the next level, solidify our place among the nation's elite programs, and establish Pepperdine as the golf capital of collegiate sports.

The extraordinary success of Pepperdine University’s golf teams has been fueled by the talent and tenacity of our student-athletes along with the visionary leadership of our dynamic coaches. As representatives of a smaller college competing in NCAA Division I against a host of traditional powerhouse programs in the SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12, our golf teams consistently exceed expectations despite limited budget resources for recruitment and facility upgrades.

 

Men's golf

Men's Golf

Having claimed the second NCAA golf championship in Pepperdine history in June of 2021, Pepperdine's men's team has raised the bar for excellence and created a swell of Wave pride among our students, alumni, and fans across the country. Rising in the collegiate rankings for the past decade, the team now stands firm among perennial national contenders.

Men's Golf Team by the Numbers:

  • Head Coach Michael Beard has earned an unprecedented six straight WCC Coach of the Year titles
  • Ranked #4 by Golfweek at the conclusion of of the 2021–22 season
  • Earned 22 West Coast Conference titles since 1987

Women's golf

Women's Golf

Since fielding its first team in 1985, Pepperdine women's golf has made steady progress while building an exceptional program with top-tier prospects. Pepperdine has recruited the best and brightest students from around the world to compete at the highest level of collegiate sports.

Women's Golf Team by the Numbers:

  • Head Coach Laurie Gibbs is a 14-time WCC Coach of the Year
  • Has won 19 of the 24 WCC Championships ever contested
  • Has made 12 NCAA Championship appearances with four top-five finishes

 

Pepperdine Golf Site Rendering

Pepperdine Practice Course Rendering

Pepperdine Golf Clubhouse Rendering


 

Reimagining Campus Facilities

Standing at a crossroads of opportunity, the University has launched an ambitious $5.9 million initiative to take our teams to the next level, solidify our place among the nation's elite programs, and establish Pepperdine as the golf capital of collegiate sports. A major investment in Pepperdine golf will energize our programs with critical resources, enable significant upgrades to current campus facilities, and pave the way for a Waves Clubhouse and practice course on campus.

The unparalleled panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean will provide our golfers with a spectacular setting to hone their skills. Reimagined practice spaces and expertly contoured greens will expand opportunities for individualized instruction and match preparation, and the construction of a Pepperdine Clubhouse will create a new campus home and center of golf operations for our players and coaches—a place for strategizing, team building, celebrating accomplishments, and welcoming Waves golf alumni and friends.

Although we are currently in the concept development phase for the clubhouse and practice course, Pepperdine is committed to turning these long-term facility goals into reality. Our plans require overcoming several regulatory hurdles, but we are confident in the strategies that we have in place and the relationships we have built. We anticipate securing final approvals and beginning construction on this project in 2026.

  • The Pepperdine Waves Clubhouse will include men's and women's team locker rooms, hitting bays, a putting lab, lounge and storage space, and a conference room for team meetings.
  • The Practice Course will offer a variety of playing surfaces and hitting distances to develop both long-game and short-game skills. Strategically placed signs and natural boundaries will delineate the golf facilities from recreational facilities.

 

"Adding a putting green and larger tee boxes would allow me to work on every aspect without leaving campus. The upgrades will attract high-level junior golfers to want to come to Pepperdine and improve the team in the future. Very few schools in the country have an on-campus grass driving range."

– Kaleiya Romero, Junior

 


 

Golf team supporting eachother

 

Reenergizing Practice

The large-scale enhancements slated for Alumni Park will transform the training and practice routines of our student-athletes. Currently our teams schedule time at local courses—traveling up to an hour to and from practice destinations—and spend hours working on stroke fundamentals and mechanics at off-campus venues in the surrounding area. Dedicated campus facilities will allow our players to more fully engage in community activities, connect our students to the teams in meaningful ways, and provide our coaches with a phenomenal setting for recruitment.

Pepperdine golf is poised for a tidal wave of growth and accomplishment in the coming years. Your support is vital as we come together to strengthen resources for our teams and invest in the potential of our student-athletes and the leadership of our coaches.

The summer 2021 putting green upgrades in Alumni Park have already doubled the practice space on campus. The improvements included leveling surfaces, removing select trees, relocating boulders, and replacing the greens with Santa Ana Bermuda grass—the standard for warm-weather golf courses around the world. With newly remodeled practice areas on campus, we have already begun to make important facility improvements that will promote game-changing golf performance opportunities and enrich team experiences.

 

"The renovations at Alumni Park will allow us to work on more shots than ever before. We can hit wedge shots from any direction, practice iron shots in different wind directions, and practice out of tournament quality bunkers."

– Joe Highsmith ('22)

 


 

Support Pepperdine Golf

Pepperdine Golf has a variety of immediate and long-term funding needs. Gifts supporting program operations such as equipment, supplies, and travel will ensure that our players have the tools they need to improve and thrive, and are able to play and practice on the best courses across the country. Individuals pledging a minimum of $100,000 will have the opportunity to make a permanent impact and create a named endowed scholarship designated to men's or women's golf.

  Men's Golf Team Excellence Fund

Men's Golf Team Excellence Fund (gifts of $5,000–$100,000+)

The Men's Golf Team Excellence Fund would be used at the discretion of the men's head golf coach for high-priority needs including:

  • Travel
  • Practice course access (North Ranch Country Club, Sherwood Country Club, The Saticoy Club)
  • Supplies and equipment
  Women's Golf Team Excellence Fund

Women's Golf Team Excellence Fund (gifts of $5,000–$100,000+)

The Women's Golf Team Excellence Fund would be used at the discretion of the women's head golf coach for high-priority needs including:

  • Travel
  • Practice course access (Moorpark Country Club, Sherwood Lake Club, The Saticoy Club)
  • Supplies and equipment
  Endowed Scholarship for Men's or Women's Golf

Endowed Scholarship for Men's or Women's Golf (gift of $100,000+ over a period of one to five years)

Student-athlete scholarships help counter the unmet financial needs of Waves athletes pursuing a degree at Pepperdine. An endowed scholarship establishes a permanent fund in which the principal remains untouched and a portion of the interest (approximately five percent) is awarded as scholarship support each year in perpetuity.

Join the Pepperdine Golf Founder's Society

To enable the efforts of the Pepperdine Golf Initiative, we are creating a prestigious support group that will be comprised of our teams' greatest encouragers. To become a member, individuals will be required to commit a minimum of $500,000.

Contact James Gehrels (’17), director of the Waves Athletic Fund, at 310.506.7424 or james.gehrels@pepperdine.edu.